Propeller aircraft carriers today?

[MattII]

Still a propeller.

[Pangur]

At one stage I had wondered about posting something along the lines of drone carrier, Got as far as working out some provisional sizes for them as well. Might run idea after all

[AdA]

Originally Posted by Pangur

At one stage I had wondered about posting something along the lines of drone carrier, Got as far as working out some provisional sizes for them as well. Might run idea after all

That's very now...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...r-vessels.html

[Pangur]

Originally Posted by AdA

That's very now...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...r-vessels.html

Thanks for that input. I have forgotten about the drone subs for mine hunting.

[Riain]

I think it's wrong to try to get prop aircraft to mimic the jobs jets and helos do so well. Prop aircraft have their own niches, like long loiter and cheap operation, we just need to find scenarios where these are handy atributes. I think years of COIN war could really bring out the virtues of prop aircraft if they were available.

[AdA]

Originally Posted by Riain

I think it's wrong to try to get prop aircraft to mimic the jobs jets and helos do so well. Prop aircraft have their own niches, like long loiter and cheap operation, we just need to find scenarios where these are handy atributes. I think years of COIN war could really bring out the virtues of prop aircraft if they were available.

Are you thinking along this lines?

[Riain]

More this;


and this:



I think they'd fit into niche roles that have existed for at least a decade very well. The roles of the A1 are covered by the A10 and AV8B+ very well.

[AdA]

Originally Posted by Riain

More this;


and this:



I think they'd fit into niche roles that have existed for at least a decade very well.

The bufallo is a bit too much. You can use the Greyhound for the same jobs.

[tallthinkev]

Piper Enforcer, anyone?

[Riain]

Originally Posted by AdA

The bufallo is a bit too much. You can use the Greyhound for the same jobs.

Can the Greyhound get into the worlds shittiest 500ft airstrip? I don't deny the Greyhound is a very handy aircraft, but I can't see it landing in some shithole gap in the trees in the New Guinea highlands, or some gravel patch in Afghanistan.

[AdA]

Originally Posted by Riain

Can the Greyhound get into the worlds shittiest 500ft airstrip? I don't deny the Greyhound is a very handy aircraft, but I can't see it landing in some shithole gap in the trees in the New Guinea highlands, or some gravel patch in Afghanistan.

No, but but Carrier to Shithole and back missions are very much covered by the Osprey. The Greyhound is a really nice aircraft that should have seen more export sales in the twin prop cargo segment.

Before the Osprey, for long range special forces missions in some weird places, you have a point, but you probably need a large carrier to operate a Bufallo and that would mean a really big mission.

[Riain]

Ture, but the Osprey costs about a billion dollars a minute to run whereas the Buffalo costs five bucks a year, more or less. The Buffalo is to carriers what the Greyhound is to shitty strips, there are far more shitty strips in the world than carriers, however the point is taken. On the other hand the Bronco operated from LPHs throughout the Vietnam war, as well as in all sorts of dodgy areas on dodgy jobs that would have cost a fortune to do with a helicopter.

[AdA]

Originally Posted by Riain

Ture, but the Osprey costs about a billion dollars a minute to run whereas the Buffalo costs five bucks a year, more or less. The Buffalo is to carriers what the Greyhound is to shitty strips, there are far more shitty strips in the world than carriers, however the point is taken. On the other hand the Bronco operated from LPHs throughout the Vietnam war, as well as in all sorts of dodgy areas on dodgy jobs that would have cost a fortune to do with a helicopter.

But the Bronco, good as it is, isn't a new generation SPAD. A modern day AD1, operating from dedicated cheap to run carriers, would be very useful, for sinking pirate boats off Somalia, for example.
Was there any place in Theeran a bufallo could have taken off from that was close to the US embassy? that could be the ultimate Carrier borne bufallo mission, saving Carter's campaign in the process...

[Gannt the chartist]

Given how the first reaction to a natural disaster is send the nearest military deck how about a red cross operated converted merchie with a mixed helo/Stol group. (followed by the swiss navy launching surprise strikes on the USN)

[Riain]

Originally Posted by AdA

But the Bronco, good as it is, isn't a new generation SPAD. A modern day AD1, operating from dedicated cheap to run carriers, would be very useful, for sinking pirate boats off Somalia, for example.
Was there any place in Theeran a bufallo could have taken off from that was close to the US embassy? that could be the ultimate Carrier borne bufallo mission, saving Carter's campaign in the process...

The A10 and Harrier are the modern day AD1, if such a thing is needed with the proliferation of air to air refuelling tankers and the fuel efficiency of modern fighters compared to the mid 60s. Nor would a Buffalo replace helicopters for things like the Tehran rescue.

Planes like the Bronco and Buffalo would supplant expensive helicopters and jet aircraft in a multitude of roles where they are good enough, in COIN wars like Somlia, Afghanisatan and Iraq.